


Once Upon Another Time

by Mogoona3000



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canon won I am so sorry, DUM-E is in here because I love him, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Iron fam rights, IronDad and SpiderSon, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, because canon is a thing, he gets all the hugs dangit, i don't even know what to tag this thing, maybe it'll help me move on, there were tears that came with this, this is my first fanfic and i'm stressing, this went dark so quickly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-05 20:22:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20494766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mogoona3000/pseuds/Mogoona3000
Summary: Pepper sorts through Tony's things with FRIDAY's help.This is what she finds.





	1. Stars Lit Up Like Candle Light

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello!
> 
> This story has been in my head for months, but I never mustered up the courage to write it. It was heavily inspired by one of my favorite artist's on Tumblr whose artwork creates one of my favorite renditions of that precious bean, Peter Parker.
> 
> Also, one of the scenes you'll read below is a prompt from the wonderful Senia, who is on Tumblr as @madasthesea. 
> 
> I am complete -trash- at linking anything on here. I tried. I cried. I am sorry. But I am on Tumblr with this same username and profile picture--@mogoona3000 
> 
> On there, I will link the prompt and the artwork this story opens with. So please, pleaseeeee, if you can--go on my tumblr, click the link or message me, and I'll gladly give it out so that you can show the artists all the love they deserve!
> 
> These masterminds have created some incredible things, so please do check it out. I promise you will love everything you’ll come across from them.
> 
> Last, but certainly not least, Julia who put up with me and transformed this story with her beta work. Ugh, I love her. I will link her work also. It will make you feel so warm inside, you'll love it. 
> 
> That being said, the first chapter is pretty lengthy, so take your time reading it!
> 
> Enjoy!

The night Pepper sorts through Tony’s personal files with FRIDAY’s help, as she’s standing with a mug of tea in hand and scattered holograms displayed before her, she comes across a folder. It reads _ Put it on the Fridge Protocol_. She asks FRIDAY to open it, setting her mug down and stepping closer to the screen. The A.I. grants her access and three more folders appear. One of them reads _ Little Miss_, the other reads _ Underoos _ and the third one reads _ The Holy Trinity_. She has FRIDAY open the third folder but finds that it is empty. At Pepper’s confusion, FRIDAY informs it was created the day... 

_ That _ day. Hours before he left. 

Pepper is grateful FRIDAY supplies that information without her needing to ask. She wants to get through this before she tries her chances with sleep. Restlessness seems to want to make a stay.

Stepping back and slowly taking a seat on the chair behind her, she feels the tears threatening an escape. She’s tired. It’s really that simple, but the simplicity doesn’t lessen the weight. She sighs her tears away and instructs FRIDAY to open Peter’s files. 

This is what she finds. 

_ The video loads with Tony in the _ _ workshop _ _ standing at a table with his back to where a sleeping Peter Parker is slumped over with his head resting on top of some paperwork at his own workbench. The silence runs for a few minutes until Tony breaks it. _

_ “How are you doing over there, Pete? You’ve been a bit quiet…” _

_ Tony continues working without turning around, presumably waiting for Peter to answer. _

_ “Kid?” When Peter doesn’t respond, Tony turns around to find him asleep on his station. “Oh,” he quietly concludes. _

_ Tony starts storing things away on the screen he’s been working on as he acknowledges that it “looks like we went a few hours past your bedtime.” _

_ Peter doesn’t move at Tony’s words even though his voice is at a normal speaking volume. Tony is now standing by him, hands casually tucked inside his front pockets as he says with a bit more volume than before, “Hey! Wake up, Spider-Man!” _

_ Peter bolts awake, suddenly sitting up straight and disoriented; when he speaks, it’s instant, as if rehearsed. _

_ “What iz it—? I’m awake! Is it a mission?” _

_ “Relax,” Tony supplies. “It’s home time.” _

_ Peter relaxes immediately and begins to stand up with a yawn, his bag lazily slung over his left shoulder as he rubs his eye with the back of his knuckles. _

_ “Oh. Right. Well,” he stifles through another yawn, and slides the paperwork he fell asleep on towards Tony. “I’ve finished with this anyway.” _

_ He’s on his feet, half asleep and moving towards the door. _

_ “All of it?” Tony asks, a hint of surprise in his voice. _

_ “Yep.” _

_ “Good job,” is all Tony says as Peter is now holding the door open. “Meet Happy out-front. He’ll drive you home,” Tony finishes telling him, taking the paperwork from the desk and sorting it accordingly. _

_ “Oh. Cool. Thanks, dad,” Peter responds. It’s easy and unassuming. As if he’s been calling Tony “dad” all this time. _

_ But then Peter freezes. Tony does too, his eyes wide. Before either of them speak again, Peter bolts, slamming the door shut behind him without another word. _ _ Tony stares at the door, his eyes open wide. _

_ The camera focuses outside the workshop immediately after. It shows Peter leaning against the wall next to the glass door. His face is red with embarrassment as he begins to talk to FRIDAY in a hushed voice. _

_ “Um..FRIDAY?” _

_ “Yes, Peter?” she responds. _

_ “Can you tell me that I DIDN’T call Mr. Stark ‘_dad’ _just now?” _

_ “I can confirm that you 100% _ did _ say it.” _

_ Peter lets out a small groan, bringing his palms up to cover his face in evident distress. _

_ “FRIDAY,” he starts again, in the same hushed tone, stress making his voice shake. “Please! Delete all footage from the past five minutes.” _

_ “You do not have authority to do that, Peter.” _

_ “Noooooo,” Peter lets out in a pitiful groan, slumping back against the wall and squeezing his eyes shut in complete mortification. _

_ But FRIDAY continues speaking, “Besides—he has already saved the footage to his personal files.” _

_ At the sound of that, Peter brings his hands back down and looks up, taken back. _

_ “He..what? Really?” _

_ “Of course!” FRIDAY tells him. “Boss keeps a record of all your best moments. It’s the _ Put It on the Fridge Protocol_.” _

_ At the sound of that, Peter turns his head and peeks toward the workshop through the glass door. He stares at Tony for a moment before FRIDAY finishes her observation with a chipper “he seems to be quite fond of your work!” _

_ Peter stares a bit longer. He looks surprised as he watches Tony go through the paperwork Peter had given him with a soft grin upon his lips. _

_ “Huh. Cool,” is all Peter quietly responds. _

/// 

_ Tony and Peter are in the kitchen. Peter is sitting by the peninsula, closing the textbook in front of him. Tony stands across him with a mug in his hands. _

_ “So, what do you young nerds do during the weekend?” he asks as he brings the mug to his lips. _

_ “I wouldn’t know because my free time consists of Spider-Man.” He sways slightly left to right on the stool. _

_ Tony gives a slow nod towards Peter, scrunching his face is distaste as he looks down at the content inside the mug. He dumps whatever was in it, murmuring about tea tasting like dirty water, before he turns back to Peter. _

_ “Ah, yes. But aren’t the old ladies in bed by seven? You better get going. Only got two hours left before the excitement ends.” _

_ As Tony speaks, he sets the mug in the sink and grabs a water bottle from the fridge while Peter supplies a response. _

_ “You should just quit your day job, stand-up comedy is definitely your calling.” _

_ Tony gives a soft snort into his drink and Peter stands, grabbing his bag from the ground and putting his book inside it. _

_ “You wanna come with me?” _

_ “Patrolling? No, thanks. Below my paygrade, remember?” _

_ Peter rolls his eyes as Tony starts to walk out of the kitchen. Peter follows behind him with a lot more excitement in his next words. _

_ “Come on, it’ll be fun! We can get food from Mr. Delmar’s since it reopened—best sandwiches in Queens— and—oh! And the kids at the park always go _ crazy _ when I swing by there—imagine if I stopped by with Iron Man? Mr. Stark, you have to come!” _

_ “I don’t wanna steal your thunder, kid. I’m also retired, don’t forget.” _

_ They are now entering the living room area. Tony picks up folders and a Starkpad from the coffee table. _

_ “We’ll just be helping old ladies cross the street. No rain, no thunder,” is what Peter comes back with. _

_ Tony glares at him. There’s a brief silence between them. Peter wears a winning grin, raising his shoulders slightly. He continues with a question. _

_ “Have you watched the sun setting from that abandoned building on Myrtle street?” _

_ The timestamp on the next clip reads a few hours later on that same day. Tony sits in his workshop by himself watching a video on the hologram displayed from one of his desktops. The footage is of Peter and him; it shows them at the edge of a building, legs swinging and Peter’s mask completely off. He is laughing so much soda comes out of his nose. Tony shares the same sentiment in the clip, laughing and trying to avoid getting wet. As Tony watches the video, the smile on his face remains, only growing wider and followed by a few chuckles. A moment after, Pepper walks into the workshop in her pajamas. _

_ “Look at this kid, Pep,” Tony encourages as soon as she’s close enough to him. Tony’s eyes don’t leave the screen. There’s amazement in his voice. _

_ “You guys had a good time, I see,” she says as she puts her hands on his shoulder, sliding them down his chest. Her head is now next to his as her eyes fixate on the video Tony watches as well. _

_ “He’s hilarious, that pain in my ass.” He says this with no hint of irritation, and the fond smile he wears has not faltered. _

_ Pepper chuckles. She kisses his cheek. _

_ “He’s a great kid,” she softly offers. _

_ “It’s almost annoying how true he is to that statement.” _

/// 

_ May and Tony are sitting next to each other on the couch in Tony’s living room. Peter is on the single seat across from them. May speaks first. _

_ “We wanted to make sure it was okay with you first that we do this.” _

_ Peter nods, silently. _

_ “And like this,” May proceeds, “I’m not worried about you when I’m at work, and I know you’re safe. At least when you’re here.” _

_ Peter nods again. His expression is fighting to remain stoic. He keeps blinking up at the two figures on the couch across from him. _

_ “You alright, kid? Do you not want—” _

_ “N-no, I—” Peter stops talking and clears his throat. “I’m fine. Yes. Thank you. Fine. So..” He looks between Tony and May, but doesn’t say anything else. _

_ It’s Tony, who speaks next, apparently summarizing what they had discussed before the video feed started, “You’ll stay here the two days May works her double—” _

_ May nodded quickly. “I’ll talk to Carl to see if he can keep the same days from now on so it’s better for you also, Tony—” _

_ “Don’t worry about that. Whatever works best for you. He can stay any time he wants,” is what Tony says to May’s proposal. _

_ Peter’s brows shoot up towards his hairline in surprise. “Like, stay over? Even if she’s working on a weekday?” _

_ Tony nods. Peter continues speaking. _

_ “A—and I come after school—here—” _

_ “Either Pepper or I have to be present, though. That’s just so you can get your homework done before you go out on patrol. I’ve been put on study duty. For the rest of my life. My punishment for hiding your spider-living ways from one May Parker. And I don’t wanna die due to your grades dropping. She’ll make it look like an accident.” _

_ Peter closes his mouth shut. There is a glint in his eyes. He nods rapidly. _

_ May gives a sigh. “This is helping me out so much, Tony. Let me find a way to repay you.” _

_ Tony turns to her, looking almost offended. “Per Pepper’s non-negotiable rule: dinner with the Parkers once a week is the only thing we’ll be asking of you in return.” _

_ May snaps her head towards Tony when he speaks. He shrugs. _

_ “I think if you make your double shifts Friday and Saturday, we can do Thursday dinners? What do you say, kid? Curfew is still 9:30pm and straight home after your spider-manning shenanigans.” _

_ Peter seems eager to go along with that. “Y-yes. And--and like that, May, you’ll only be cooking for me, like, four days out of the week.” _

_ May turns to Peter, nodding slowly. She seems overwhelmed, one hand coming up to dab at her eyes _

_ Peter’s eyes widen when he sees it and he quickly pulls Tony’s attention towards himself. “Is Ms. Potts okay with this, by the way?” Peter’s voice is nervous when he asks the question. _

_ “It was her idea,” Tony tells him. _

_ Peter’s eyes well up with tears as well as he nods. _

/// 

_ Tony is standing by his usual workstation, the table adjacent Peter’s. AC/DC’s _ Back in Black _ starts playing. Tony tells FRIDAY to skip it. He finishes inputting numbers on the screen and walks over to Peter. They share a few words, exchange a few tools between them. Tony explains a set of steps to take with the project they are working on, tests Peter as he asks the kid why what he said has to be done the way Tony instructed. They move towards a car and position themselves to slide underneath it. Harley walks in the workshop before they can do so. _

_ “You weren’t kidding. You didn’t wait for me.” _

_ Tony stands and so does Peter at the sound of Harley’s voice. They meet halfway, Peter and Harley doing a simple handshake hello. _

_ “Hey, Tony,” Harley greets with a brief, but tight hug. _

_ “I’m glad you made it because I need you to help Pete here with the formalities.” Tony pats Peter’s back before he starts to head back to the table. _

_ “We’ve tried this. He’s not gonna stop referring to you as Mr. Stark,” Harley says. He drops his bag on the side and shakes his head at Peter, who looks indignant. _

_ “Not this again, please.” _

_ “Harley calls me by my first name,” Tony muses. He stands by his station again, grabbing a screwdriver and pointing it in Peter’s direction. “So, what’s your deal, Spiderboy?” _

_ “Man. Spider-Man. And that’s because he met you as Tony. Habits are hard to break. I am set. This is it. This is how I go.” _

_ Harley puts his arm around Peter’s shoulder with a quick laugh as they walk back to the car, giving him a small shake. _

_ “I missed you, man. Now, catch me up.” _

_ “Mr. Stark just showed me the easiest way around that low cylinder, actually. Uh, FRIDAY, can you give me an exploded view, please?” _

_ FRIDAY does, the holographic copy of the car’s parts hovering around the boys, and then announces that “Colonel Rhodes is in the elevator on his way to the penthouse.” _

_ Peter is sitting by the hologram FRIDAY amplified and begins to play around with it, taking apart the side he sits in front of. He talks to Harley as the latter takes a seat next to him. _

_ Tony cleans his hands with a rag behind the two. _

_ “I’ll be right back. Don’t trust DUM-E with important tasks. Butterfingers, oil on my mat. Get that cleaned, will you?” Tony leaves the workshop after. _

_ Peter looks after Tony and doesn’t speak until Tony is completely gone. He waits a bit longer after he disappears. _

_ “He’s up there?” _

_ “Yeah, his steps are far out,” Peter concludes. “So, you’re gonna be okay not going to class for the next three days?” he asks as he hands Harley the wrench. _

_ Peter then gets underneath the car and starts working on it. _

_ “Yeah, talked to my professors. Got the work so I’ll be caught up by the time I go back. You cleared everything with Ms. Potts?” _

_ “I did,” Peter says before his head pops out from underneath the vehicle. “Okay, so—wait.” Peter looks up at the ceiling, directly into one of the cameras. “FRIDAY, can you mute this conversation? We’re planning something for Mr. Stark’s birthday and would like it to be a surprise.” _

_ “Of course, but don’t forget his birthday is in May. We’re in the month of February, Peter.” _

_ “Yeah, thanks FRIDAY but he’s leaving that week for 10 days, remember? And Harley couldn’t get off school any other month.” _

_ “Understood. Conversation muted.” _

_ “Thanks, FRI.” _

_ /// _

_ The timestamp on the video reads 2:00am in Tony’s living room, lights dimmed. Peter is sitting on the couch and wiping tears from his face. He sets a glass of water on the table. The lights turn bright, and Peter is startled, whirling around at the sound of steps behind him. He finds Tony approaching him. _

_ “Oh, did I wake you? I—” _

_ “No, FRIDAY told me you were here.” _

_ Tony sits on the coffee table, now facing Peter. He lowers his head towards the boy, trying to get Peter to look up at him. _

_ “What’s on your mind, kid?” _

_ Peter doesn’t meet his eye as he shakes his head. He doesn’t say anything but then starts to cry without any warning. _

_ “Hey, hey, Pete..Come on, what’s going on?” _

_ In a swift motion, Peter rushes into Tony, wrapping his arms around him in what looks like a fierce embrace. Tony stumbles on his seat but holds Peter against him as the boy is on his knees in front of him. _

_ “I don’t wanna lose anybody else, Mr. Stark.” Peter’s words are coated with pain and cries against Tony’s chest. _

_ Tony doesn’t speak for a moment. His hand rubs Peter’s back while the other holds the back of his head. _

_ “You’re okay, Pete. You’re okay,” is what Tony quietly says after a few moments of silence. _

/// 

_ The next day, the timestamp reads 4:45pm. Tony sits next to Peter on the living room couch. Peter is wearing his Spider-Man suit. His mask lays on the coffee table. They are both facing each other; Tony has one leg underneath him, his arm draped over the headrest as he speaks. There is no sound coming from the video, but Tony’s lips are moving, and he has Peter’s undivided attention, as he nods a few times to what is being said to him. Tony reaches for his hair after a moment, carding his hand through it in a loving and gentle manner. He doesn’t let go right away, giving a gentle pull before he releases altogether. Peter is hesitant, avoiding eye contact. Tony speaks again. Peter looks up at Tony and begins talking. _

_ Peter is clearly upset as he speaks. His shoulders tense and he begins using his hands, gesturing and crying as he continues to get his words out. Then, he stops. No one speaks for a moment. Peter ducks his head, wiping his nose and looking away. On the screen, it looks like Tony is saying Peter’s name, but Peter doesn’t look his way. Tony then taps Peter’s chin with his finger, trying to get his attention. He finally looks up to find that Tony has tears on his face as well, though he is a lot more composed than Peter, who is now full on crying; he locks eyes with Tony. The teen’s cries don’t subdue as the older man finishes speaking with a gentle squeeze on the kid’s shoulder. _

_ Tony moves closer to Peter and holds him against his chest, Peter’s head under his chin. The older man shuts his eyes tight, fighting his cries as Peter’s shoulders shake against him. They remain in that position for sixteen minutes. _

_ /// _

_ Pepper walks into the living room, car keys in hand and stopping short when she sees Peter asleep on the couch. She walks out of the frame but returns quickly with a blanket in hand. She drapes it over the sleeping boy, gently brushing some of his stray hairs out of his forehead. _

_ /// _

_ Peter is sitting on the living floor. There are chinese take-out containers across the coffee table. A hologram of Harley is displaying from Tony’s phone. Harley is talking about school, and a girl named Samantha. Tony gives Harley terrible advice, as per Peter’s observations. They laugh and talk throughout the clip, until Harley ends the call and Tony and Peter stay long after they finish their food. Tony smiles and laughs frequently in the remaining two hours of the clip. _

_ /// _

_ The timestamp indicates a different day. Peter is dozing off on the living room couch, sitting up slumped against Tony, who is next to him on his phone. As Peter‘s head lulls onto Tony’s shoulder some more, there is no reaction from the older man, but Peter wakes up. All Tony does is glance from his phone when Peter wakes. _

_ “I’m up, I’m up.” _

_ “That’s a lie, but okay.” _

_ “What day is it, holy hell. Is it still Friday night? Am I even awake?” Peter starts rubbing his eyes and stifles a yawn. _

_ “Friday. Still Friday. I don’t think so,” Tony muses as he continues to slouch on the spot he sits on and keeps scrolling through his phone. _

_ “You’re the worst dad at dad jokes ever,” is what Peter responds with. He begins to settle against Tony this time. Tony, caught by surprise raises his hands and just watches Peter snuggle against his side, forcing Tony to lean into the corner of the couch. _

_ Peter’s breathing evens out almost immediately and Tony’s grin comes a few moments after, his phone abandoned to the side as he carefully places his hands on Peter’s back and in his hair. _

/// 

_ In the video, Peter is sitting on the edge of the bed, his legs hanging from it. The nurse is telling him he should be fine and not wet the bandage on his arm. She smiles warmly at Peter as Tony thanks her for coming in. She exits the medbay right after. There is silence for a few moments. Tony breaks it first as he stands in front of Peter. _

_ “What were you _ thinking_?” _

_ “Nobody got hurt,” the boy replies with a hint of frustration coming across. _

_ “_You _ got hurt, Peter. _ You _ did. You could’ve—” Tony abruptly stops talking and releases a deep breath, his hand running down his face. “You could’ve gotten seriously hurt, kid,” is what Tony finishes with. _

_ Peter rolls his eyes; the frustration behind the gesture prominent now as he gives a slight shake of his head. He supplies nothing. Tony turns his back to Peter for a few moments. He shuts his eyes tight. It looks like he’s trying to gather his composure. When Tony turns back around, his distress remains on his face. _

_ “Mr. Stark, there were children in the building. I had to go in, I had to.” _

_ “The building was coming down, Pete!” _

_ “Exactly my point. Exactly. I just…” Peter releases a shaky breath and looks to the side, giving a slight shake of his head again. When he turns to face Tony, he begins speaking about wishing Tony and May would trust his decisions. There are tears accumulating in his eyes, but his voice doesn’t waver. He tells Tony he won’t hesitate to help the people that need him to do so, tells Tony that he has a duty to his city, that sometimes people get hurt. _

_ “Sometimes, yeah, people die too. Fine. But Mr. Stark, if I can prevent that, then I will. It’s important you understand that. You’d do the same thing, wouldn’t you?” _

_ Peter doesn’t wait for an answer as he continues speaking. _

_ “You have to trust me, Mr. Stark. You have to.” _

_ Tony remains silent for a long moment. They don’t take their eyes off each other. Tony speaks next. _

_ “Okay, kid,” he says as he comes closer and holds Peter against him. At the touch, Peter’s soft cries can be heard in the room. “But you have to understand,” Tony slowly continues into Peter’s hair, softly, not lacking the urgency of his next words. “You are just as important. You’re important, Peter. To May, to—to--you’re valuable. You are no use to anyone if you’re hurt. You have to know how to choose your battles and how to fight them. Okay?” he asks, shaking Peter a little in his embrace when he doesn’t respond. “Yeah?” He shakes him again. “Call for backup, wait for help if you can, but you’re important too, kid.” _

_ Peter nods against Tony’s chest and Tony shuts his eyes, holding Peter as he begins to calm down. They stay like that for a few minutes. _

_ “I’m sorry, Mr. Stark.” _

_ Peter lets go when he apologizes. Tony’s face is still contorted with concern, but his eyes are soft as he brushes Peter’s hair from his damp forehead. _

_ “Don’t be sorry. Be better. Be diligent. Be careful. My heart would really appreciate it. It’ll be a true gift.” _

_ Through a wet sob, Peter releases a smile. _

_ /// _

_ Pepper is standing over Peter while she cleans his face with a cotton ball over his left eyebrow. Peter sits on the living room couch. _

_ “You think he’ll be mad?” is what Peter asks, hissing slightly as Pepper keeps cleaning him. “After the whole building thing three days ago? I mean, the news is exaggerating, really. The bullet glazed--glaaazeeed over my arm. I stayed down right after because the other guy was shooting too, and the blood wasn’t even mine—” _

“_The news, Peter, is saying you’re badly hurt. That you weren’t moving, laying in a puddle of blood_. _ I texted May to let her know you’re with me, but Tony hasn’t answered me.” _

“_But—”_

_ “Where is he?” _

_ Tony’s voice cuts Peter’s explanation short. Pepper sighs and sets the cotton ball on top of the first aid kit that sits behind her on the coffee table. Peter whirls around in Tony’s direction and stands up from the couch, taking a step back. _

_ “Honey..” Pepper tries to appease but Tony moves past her, wearing a mixture of anger and worry as he moves towards Peter. _

_ Pepper moves toward them, standing at a distance but facing them as they face each other. _

_ “Tony—” Pepper says with a slight warning in her voice the second time around. _

_ “Peter Benjamin Stark, w—” _

_ But Tony abruptly stops talking as he’s standing right before Peter. He turns to Pepper and opens his mouth a few times as if trying to find something to say, but nothing comes out. He turns his eyes to Peter again. He says nothing, but Peter is looking up at him, his panic dissolving slowly. Tony remains silent. Peter’s eyes look from side to side as his eyebrows knit together in confusion. Pepper has a hand over her lips, but her eyes give away the smile she is hiding behind it. _

_ “…Yeah?” is all Peter says, expectant. _

_ Tony seems to deflate, trying again, opening and closing his mouth as if he’s trying to find the words but still comes up empty. Peter waits, but nothing other than a bone-crushing hug happens. Peter is confused for a whole of two seconds before he returns the embrace. _

_ “This is nice,” he murmurs. “So, you’re not mad I went out even though I was still kinda recovering from the burns I got three days ago? I mean, I’m healed, you can’t even tell. Is this a good time to bring up that I damaged the suit?” Peter doesn’t soften his hold as he speaks, the side of his face against Tony’s collarbone. _

_ “In my defense, Mr. Stark, I was on my way here, but Ned mentioned the bank and there were hostages, and the building was in perfect condition.” _

_ Tony drops a kiss to the side of Peter’s head. He shuts his eyes and visibly relaxes against Peter. _

_ “I’m just..glad you’re okay,” is all he says. _

_ /// _

_ Pepper and May are conversing in the kitchen. May is handing Pepper a plate of vegetables while the latter stirs the pot on the stove. Peter is sitting by the peninsula jotting notes away in his notebook with a rushed step in his writing. His leg is jiggling with nervous energy. _

_ “Done! Okay, can I go now?” _

_ May nods towards him and Peter shoves his work into his bag in a haste, giving both May and Pepper a kiss on the cheek as he tells FRIDAY to tell Tony he just has to change into his suit, that he’ll meet him in the car. _

_ “Mr. Stark sends his apologies, Peter, but he already left to the compound.” _

_ Peter stops short. He looks up at the ceiling with a small “what?” _

_ The disappointment is evident in his words. _

_ “He says he’s just joking,” FRIDAY amends, and Peter continues to keep his eyes to the ceiling. “He’s waiting for you in the garage and says to hurry. The Vision leaves in a few hours.” _

_ “Anthony, I swear to _GOD_,” Peter murmurs as he rushes to the elevator then. _

_ Pepper and May laugh for two minutes straight. _

_ /// _

_ Peter sits on the floor of the workshop, crouched up and laughing so hard, it becomes silent. Tony is sitting on the stool, his head back and laughing just as hard as Peter. This goes on for a full five minutes, Tony falling on the floor as he tries to catch his breath. Peter laughs harder when that happens. They try to talk over their amusement, but the laughing doesn’t relent. This goes on for another six minutes straight. _

_ /// _

_ At the peninsula, Tony and Pepper are sitting on the left side, and May and Peter sit across from them. There are plates of food in front of them. Light music plays in the background. There are bright conversations between the four. Plans are made for next week’s dinner. There’s a great deal of fun and laughter throughout the clip. _

/// 

_ Peter walks into the frame with a rushed step, past the entrance, past the living room and towards the kitchen. There is evident distress in his stance when he stands a few feet away behind Pepper as she is reading paperwork by the kitchen counter. _

_“Ms. Potts, I—May—”_ _Peter chokes on his words, seeming unable to speak. _

_ “Peter sweetie, are you alright?” she asks as she turns around. _

_ Pepper sets the paperwork down and walks over to meet Peter’s rushing steps towards her. He starts talking very fast with tears threatening to come out as he tells Pepper that the train May takes home malfunctioned. He informs her that there were casualties, and that “she’s not answering my –my calls or my texts—and—it’s been a few hours now—we were supposed to do laundry today because I ruined her shirts the last time—” _

_ “Peter, honey, take a deep breath.” _

_ Pepper is holding Peter’s face between her palms, and Peter closes his eyes, but the tears flow as soon as he does. Crying and lunging himself towards Pepper, he hugs her tight. _

_ “FRIDAY, can you please inform Tony of what’s going on and have him call me as soon as he can?” _

_ “Of course, Ms. Potts.” _

_ “Thank you.” _

_ Pepper holds Peter for a moment longer, eventually getting him to sit on the couch while she gets her phone from the kitchen counter. She comes back with a glass of water in her hand. She gives it to him; Peter takes the glass with shaking hands and a quiet “thank you.” She quietly tucks his hair behind his ear, speaking soothing things to Peter, helping him steady himself. _

_ “I tried to go down there, Spider-Man and everything to—to help, but it’s completely blocked off and they wouldn’t even let—” _

_ “I am sure it’s just very chaotic at the moment, and remember the reception down there isn’t the most reliable. Take a deep breath, honey. We will figure it out.” _

_ At that moment, Pepper’s phone goes off and she answers it on the first ring. _

_ “Tony…” Pepper seems tense when she answers, but her posture changes to a sudden relief as she shuts her eyes briefly, her own tears threatening to come out when she opens them again. “He’s right here…Okay.” _

_ Peter is looking at Pepper with worried and desperate eyes as she puts the phone on speaker. Her hand rests on Peter’s back, giving gentle rubs up and down. _

_ “Kid, hey. May is fine. I got in contact with Rhodey who’s down there right now. Her phone got lost with the commotion. She’s fine, Pete.” _

_ “Is—is she hurt? Where—” _

_ “She has a bruise on her forehead, but she’s _ fine. _Rhodey says she’s using her nurse card to stay behind and help with the people that are injured. The Parker trait strikes again. That’s where you get it from, kid.” _

_ Peter lets out a breath and shakes his head as more tears fall. _

_ “So, she’s okay.” _

_ “She’s fine. She’s pulling a Spider-Man. Rhodey was the closest person with the proper title to be let through. They’ll be on their way to the penthouse soon. I’m about an hour out. You okay?” _

_ Peter nods and shortly after two shaky breaths, he drops his forehead against Pepper’s shoulder. The cry is not as panicked this time around. _

_ When the tape skips over, Peter is nursing a sandwich with Pepper next to him. Pepper occasionally rubs his back while she encourages him to eat. Peter makes a feeble attempt to do so. _

_ “Ms. Potts, Mrs. Parker and Colonel Rhodes have arrived. They are currently in the elevator on their way up.” _

_ Peter jumps to his feet to FRIDAY’s announcement, setting his plate on the coffee table, rushing to the elevator. As soon as it opens, May steps out of it and Peter meets her with a tight hug. _

_ /// _

_ Peter is hanging from the workshop ceiling with a book in one hand. Harley is standing by Peter’s workstation, silently skipping through the holograms displayed in front of him. They go on like this for twenty-three minutes. _

_ “So, Pete,” Harley begins. He puts on the goggles over his eyes and begins picking at the project in front of him. Peter drops to his feet with a soft thud and closes the book in his hand. “Tony says he’s gonna come down to visit once I’m back home from school. You comin’?” _

_ “I mean, yeah. I’ll ask if that’s cool with him. That’d be awesome, dude.” _

_ Harley grins down at his work as Peter stands next to him. They work in synch, feeding off each other for fifty-four minutes until Tony steps back in and they both show him what they’ve been working on in his absence. _

_ “You’re gonna ace this, man,” Peter says as he lifts his goggles until they come off completely. _

_ Tony watches the two of them high five each other. _

_ “Alright, nerds. Dinner is gonna be ready soon. Chief made a very nice ‘until we see you again, Harley’ platter, so wash up and come up.” _

_ “Is May here yet?” Peter asks as he grabs his book from the table and walks over to where his bag was thrown as soon as he entered the shop. _

_ “Not yet. Harley, Happy will take you back to school tomorrow morning, yeah?” _

_ “Oh—Tony, I can—” _

_ “Nah-ah. I’ve already told him. Can’t go back on a job with Happy. Unhappy shows up. Not fun.” _

_ Harley looks at Peter, who pats him on his back with a sympathetic look on his face. _

_ “You don’t want Unhappy on the scene.” _

_ “Exactly,” Tony concludes with a clap of his hands. He exhales a small breath, then continues talking. “Clean up. DUM-E,” he says across the room, “help them out—no, not with that—god, you’re going to a community college, that’s it.” _

_ Tony begins walking out of the shop. _

_ “Chop, chop nerds.” _

_ The timestamp on the video indicates it’s been thirty-four minutes since Tony was in the shop when he steps back in. DUM-E has a fire extinguisher between its claw, and both Harley and Peter are coughing and laughing as they are covered in foam. Peter is thanking DUM-E for his precaution while wiping his eyes foam-free. _

_ “Wait until there’s actual fire next time, DUM-E.” _

_ “What..happened?” _

_ When they tell Tony they began messing with the taser webs on Peter’s suit, trying to reconstruct something with actual fire coming out of the webs when he shoots them, they can barely be understood as they laugh throughout the entire story. Tony shakes his head with a slightly shocked look over his face. They begin to come down from their laughter fit as Tony takes his phone out of his pocket. _

_ “Wha—what are you doing?” Peter tries to take the phone from Tony, who claims to be filming and taking pictures. Peter slips when Tony avoids his grasp at the phone. _

_ As he tries to not fall down, he grabs onto Harley and brings him down with him. They are both on the ground laughing harder than they were before. Tony is making snarky remarks as he videotapes and snaps more pictures when Harley begins to pose for the camera. _

_ /// _

_ Peter is asleep on the couch, head on Tony’s lap. Tony gently cards through his hair as he types away on his Starkpad. _

/// 

_ Peter has a Starkpad in hand as he demonstrates a project he has been working on. Tony sits on the couch. Peter has his undivided attention. The footage is muted. Once the boy is done talking, he takes a seat at Tony’s side. Tony is smiling at him with pride in his eyes and begins to ask questions. Peter doesn’t miss a beat in responding. After a few minutes, they stand from the couch, Tony’s hand around Peter’s shoulders as Peter lowers his head with a smile, his hands fidgeting with each other in a nervous manner. They are now in front of the elevator, the cameras picking up the trail there. Tony speaks again as they wait for the doors to open, and Peter’s head turns to face Tony. He doesn’t speak, but Tony holds him closer, pressing a kiss into his hair. Peter surrenders to the gesture, shutting his eyes. The doors to the elevator open. Peter’s eyes are filled with tears with a small grin on his face. They step inside. _

/// 

_ Tony and Pepper are giving Peter soft smiles and cheering him on as he talks about May’s advice working. _

_ “Which is great. I think we’ll go out for ice cream, maybe a walk in the park?” _

_ Pepper smirks with an impressed nod towards Tony. _

_ “The perfect moment to introduce her to the Stark Raving Hazelnut Ben and Jerry's flavor,” Tony suggests. _

_ “That one is a bit chalky,” Pepper says, looking up at Peter from where he stands as she grabs her glass of wine from the coffee table. She is blatantly ignoring Tony’s indignant reply while Peter tries to hide his snickering. Pepper takes a sip from her glass and sets it back down. _

_ “Try _ _ A Hunk of Hulk of Burning Fudge. Can never go wrong with chocolate.” _

_ “Yeah, alright,” is what Tony murmurs as he sits back against the couch, draping his arm across the headrest. Pepper settles against it, biting her smile down when she looks at Tony. _

_ “May’s working this weekend, but told me you wouldn’t mind helping me get ready?” Peter says. _

_ Tony nods. “Of course not, kid—” _

_ “I was, um, talking to..Ms. Potts, Mr. Stark.” _

_ “Oh.” Tony’s face falls. _

_ “I’m sorry but I-I’ll be here anyway! And maybe you can give me some advice on how to really make an impression, you know? After all, you’re dating _ the _ Pepper Potts, most powerful and beautiful woman in the country—nay,” he pauses, and slightly bows his head towards Pepper as he finishes with,“the _world_.” _

_ “Alright, alright. I know you’re freaking out when you start babbling with your arms all over the place,” Tony appeases as he stands and ruffles Peter’s hair on his way out of the frame. “Besides,” his voice drifts from where he is now, “you don’t need my help with that.” Tony appears back in the frame, two small jars of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and a few spoons in hand. He takes a seat. “You obviously made an impression already. You’re a great kid. You’ll be fine.” _

_ Peter bows his head with a hint of a smile on his face. He says nothing but a soft “thank you, Mr. Stark.” _

_ Pepper grins. “He’s right, you know.” _

_ “See? Pepper agrees. Done deal.” Tony begins to eat off the ice cream jar, with his eyes on it. _

_ “I was talking about what Peter said about me,” Pepper clarifies. Peter snickers at her answer. “But you _ are _ right about Peter being a great kid.” Then looking to Peter with a smile, she reassures, “you will be fine.” _

_ Peter nods in gratitude as he sits on the ground with his back against the couch by Pepper’s side. He grabs one of the spoons and the other small jar of ice cream labeled “Underoos.” Pepper ruffles his hair with a grin on her lips. Then, Tony speaks around a mouthful of ice cream and asks, “How is this ‘chalky?’ Something’s wrong with your palate.” _

/// 

_ The video opens with Tony running a worried hand down his face as he stares at the hologram of Peter’s phone going to voicemail. He then stands from his seat with a heavy sigh. _

_ “Well, let’s see how this works, then. You ready for a test run, FRIDAY?” _

_ Tony taps the arc reactor on his chest twice, the Iron Man suit wrapping perfectly around his body. _

_ “Try calling him again, FRIDAY. Keep his vitals displayed on the screen,” he tells her. Before he can exit the workshop, Pepper enters the room and stops short as she lays eyes on Tony. The helmet retracts at the sight of her. _

_ “Where are you going—what’s going on?” _

_ “Peter’s—” _

_ Tony gets interrupted by FRIDAY’s announcement of Peter’s incoming call. Pepper rushes over to him, a worried look in her expression. The call goes on speaker per Tony’s request. _

_ “Hey, Mr. Stark! I’m sorry I missed your calls. Is everything okay? Do you need me? Is it a mission? I’m at the park, but I can be there in 20 minutes! I’m wearing my suit underneath my clothes so no time will be wasted in changing. I just have to tell MJ I have to go. Do we meet at the tower or—?” _

_ Tony’s expression changes almost immediately at the sound of Peter’s voice. He looks at Pepper as the suit retracts itself back into the reactor. _

_ “Hey, kid. No, I—no. No mission.” He shuts his eyes as he talks, catching his breath. _

_ “Oh. Then, why’d you call?” _

_ “Well, actually,” he begins and Pepper grabs his arm and gives him a warning look. Tony continues anyway, wrapping the arm she tugged on around her shoulders and bringing her close to him. He presses a quick kiss to her temple and loosens his grip as he answers Peter. _

_ “Karen sent me your vitals.” _

_ “Oh.” A beat. “_Oh_. Oh God, Mr. Stark, don’t start. I—” _

_ "How’s that ice cream?” _

_ “Mr. Stark—” _

_ “I can’t _ believe _ we didn’t have the talk before you left.” _

“_That’s because you were too emotional to even talk when he left,” Pepper murmurs. Tony ignores it. _

_ “Oh my—please, stop. This is why I only talk to Ms. Potts, this is exactly why!” _

_ “You have something to tell me, Spiderling? Riddle me this: do you know about the bird—” _

_ “I was not—! I’m hanging up now.” _

_ “Swing by after. This is a serious matter, Mr. Parker.” _

_ “God, you’re the _ worst_.” _

_ Tony’s laugh is the last thing he gets to say before Peter ends the call. Pepper is shaking her head. Her amusement clear on the camera as Tony hides his smile against her hair when she wraps an arm around his waist. _

_ /// _

_ The timestamp reads 12:03am. The credits are rolling on the TV. The living room is dark. Peter is asleep on the couch with his head on Tony’s lap and a blanket over him. Tony’s head is against the back of the couch. His hand is stilled in Peter’s hair. He snores softly. _

_ /// _

_ Pepper is holding Peter as they stand by Peter’s workstation station in the workshop, Peter is softly crying against her with his arms around her waist. Tony walks in with a glass of water. Pepper helps Peter sit on the stool as Tony hands him the glass. Pepper takes her phone from the table behind Peter, announcing she is going to meet May at the door downstairs and giving Peter’s arm a gentle squeeze. She chances a glance towards Tony before walking out. _

_ Peter doesn’t drink the water. Tony takes the glass from his hand and sets it behind him instead. _

_ “Pete. Hey.” _

_ Peter doesn’t look up. Tony gets down on his knees and reaches for Peter’s chin. He holds it and offers a small smile. It comes across sad. His eyes are soft on the footage. _

_ “You saved them, Peter.” Tony’s voice is gentle but strong. _

_ “Not all of them, Mr. Stark. I could’ve—I didn’t—I knew that girl. We had gym together..” _

_ Tony’s mouth goes on a thin line, his jaw clenches and there is pain behind his eyes that Peter misses when he looks back down and sobs harder this time. Tony stands back up, taking his time, and with a sigh, he pulls Peter close to him. The embrace is returned. Tony has a hand at the nape of Peter’s neck and his other arm around his back. _

_ “You did good, kid,” is what Tony’s voice quietly offers. It sounds pained when says it the second time. “You did good.” _

_ May rushes into the workshop with Pepper behind her, and she stands next to Tony, hands shaking, face damp with tear tracks on her cheeks. She says nothing, holding back a sob. Tony and May look at each other as he slowly lets go of Peter. He exhales a deep breath as Peter sets his eyes on May. _

_ “May, I’m okay but this guy came into the school and I tried to stop him, but I didn’t have time to change and—and—it was awful, I was too late—” _

_ May holds Peter’s face between her palms as silent tears fall from her eyes. She pulls Peter in for a hug and soothes his cries with gentle words, and tight embraces. _

_ Pepper takes Tony’s hand and gently pulls him back towards her, Tony clearing his throat and looking away from the interaction between them. Pepper motions with her head towards the door, and Tony waits a few seconds before he begins exiting. As Peter’s sobs carry throughout the workshop, Tony shuts his eyes in a tight grip before he disappears off the frame. _

_ /// _

_ The video opens in the living room. _

_ “Kid..” _

_ “I’m sorry, Mr. Stark.” _

_ “Peter, don’t do this..” _

_ Peter sits straight from his spot on the floor, across from Tony. They stare at each other. _

_ “I have to! You made some very poor choices! You should be kicking everyone’s a—” _

_ “_Peter_,” May calls in a warning tone from the couch. _

_ “Sorry, but come on! It’s monopoly! How are you so bad at this?” _

_ “I’m marrying the bank,” he deadpans with a small shrug, Peter saying it right along with him while he rolls his eyes, as if he knew what Tony was going to retort with. There is a chorused sound of exasperated grunts and sighs around them. _

_ Tony’s head turns to Pepper who gives an apologetic smile towards Peter. _

_ “That is correct,” she admits, holding the box of Monopoly money on her lap. _

_ Peter rolls his eyes again and shakes his head towards Rhodey, who sits behind him on the couch. _

_ Thirty-nine minutes later, they are playing Colt Express, and Happy and Peter seem to be in the lead. Tony never gets the hang of it. _

_ In the last board game of the night, Tony’s in last place. If Peter makes the right move, Tony will be bested again by Peter. _

_ “Kid—” _

_ “Have to, Mr. Stark.” _

_ The circle snickers and laughs and Peter, ever so true to his word, makes his move, leaving Tony without any turns. He raises his hand, looking Tony dead in the eye as Rhodey gives him a high five from behind him. Tony sits back with a finger pointing at Peter, squinting at the exchange. _

_ “What’s going on here?” _

_ “You clearly suck at all board games, even Parcheesi, Mr. Stark.” Peter takes the dice, collecting the pieces from the board. _

_ “You told him, didn’t you? We’re a team, Rhodes. You swore you’d take this to the grave. Now you’re teaming up against me? I am hurt.” _

_ “There are no teams in Parcheesi, Tony,” is what Rhodey responds, full of nonchalance and slight exasperation. _

_ “He didn’t tell me anything, Mr. Stark,” Peter says while cleaning up the table. His eyes are focused on what’s in front of him. “You know I’d be on your team if it came down to it anyway. You just..suck. I’m actually shocked.” Peter says this matter-of-factly when he speaks. _

_ The room goes quiet again and all eyes but Peter’s go on Tony. Peter misses the small grin Tony tries to hide as he reaches over the table and ruffles Peter’s hair. He sits back down on his pillow, on the floor. _

_ “Alright, alright. What are we playing next, squirt?” _

_ They don’t play anything else that Sunday, but the smile doesn’t leave Tony’s face. _

_ /// _

_ The video opens with Rhodey, May, Pepper and Tony, Peter, Happy and Harley in the dining room with empty plates in front of them. They converse and laugh. _

_ /// _

_ Peter’s talking a mile a minute in the frame. Pepper is in the living room as well. Tony is leaning down with his elbows against the headrest of the couch, by Pepper’s shoulders. Peter starts pacing in front of her, Pepper taking the opportunity to look up and catching a smirking Tony looking back at her. _

_ “It was the coolest thing, Ms. Potts. Mr. Stark was so great. Like, this was our first mission together. Like, officially,” he says, breathless as he throws himself on the loveseat across to the couch Pepper sits on. _

_ “I’m proud of you, though. You called for backup.” _

_ “It was either backup or no Spider-Man, Ms. Potts. May was very clear after Mr. Stark ratted me out.” _

_ “Glad to be of use, Spider-cry-baby,” Tony says from behind Pepper as he plants a kiss to her forehead when she giggles up at him. _

/// 

_ Tony is on the phone with May, talking in a hushed voice while Peter is unconscious on a bed in the medbay. Tony ends the call, walks back towards the chair by the right side of the bed and sits down. He exhales a breath and runs a hand down his face. There are bags under his eyes. Peter stirs awake a few moments later. Tony stands at the movement. _

_ “Easy, easy,” he tells him, his voice sounding soft and careful. _

_ “Oh my God..I feel horrible.” _

_ “Yeah. Well. Broken shoulders. Looks like you finally cracked. Told you you can’t carry that much weight on those flimsy things.” _

_ Peter tries to sit up, wincing when he does. Tony touches a button at the side of the bed so that Peter is inclined against it. The teen swallows hard and shuts his eyes. His face is bruised, but besides the bandages around his torso and IV on his arm, there seems to be no other sign of major injuries. _

_ “What happened? I can’t remember..after the shooting started..” Peter starts with a rasp in his voice, trying to open his eyes. When he finally does, Tony sighs, pushing the boy’s hair back with a slightly shaky hand so that Peter’s forehead is exposed for a moment. But he closes his eyes again at the gesture. _

_ “It’s the pain medication that has you all groggy. You’ll remember soon and then you’ll talk my ear off as soon as you can. I’m getting myself mentally prepared, so don’t make me work in vain and heal up.” _

_ Peter gives two slow nods. He doesn’t say anything for a moment. Tony continues to card his hands through his hair. _

_ “What did he want?” Peter speaks again, his voice lower. His eyes remain closed. _

_ “That rhino guy had no intentions of letting you get back up, Spider-Man.” _

_ Peter gives another slow nod. His eyes stay closed. _

_ “Yeah..Some work ethic.” _

_ “I’ll say,” Tony responds, quiet. His hand continues to play in Peter’s hair. _

_ “He’s down though?” _

_ “Right before you passed out and screamed in pain, yeah. You handled him.” _

_ Peter relaxes and inhales a breath, wincing slightly when he does. He doesn’t say anything for a while. Tony stands by him, hand still gently playing in Peter’s hair. _

_ “May?” Peter’s voice is quiet when he speaks again. _

_ “She’s at work. She’ll be here as soon as she can. Which, knowing her, will be 20 minutes.” _

_ “Is she mad?” _

_ “As soon as you recover, we’re both gonna rip you a new one.” _

_ Their voices are hushed, Peter’s sounding groggier as time passes. _

_ “I don’t know, Mr. Stark,” he says, almost in slurs, “I have a pretty solid case in my defense.” _

_ “What, you’re gonna activate Puppy Eyes on us?” _

_ “Precisely.” _

_ With a small snort, Tony shakes his head and releases a heavy sigh. He says nothing in return for a moment. He then leans down and presses his lips on Peter’s forehead. His eyes are closed as he does this. _

_ “I’m gonna say something, but don’t freak, okay?” Peter says. He shifts a little on the bed before he speaks, looking towards Tony as he opens his eyes with great effort. “But..I really love you, Mr. Stark..Thank you for always having my back.” _

_ Peter holds his gaze for all of two seconds before he offers a small grin and closes his eyes again. Tony doesn’t speak for a couple of minutes. He watches Peter’s breath even out and his body going limp. _

_ Tony remains very still. His hands are no longer moving in Peter’s hair. _

/// 

_ The video plays with Peter leaning down on the table, jotting down notes on his subject notebook with a physics book opened next to him. Tony’s voice is in the background as he is talking to DUM-E and FRIDAY while he works on the other side of the workshop. _

_ “I’m glad your shoulders are all good, though.” _

_ “It wasn’t the best three weeks, I’ll tell ya that.” Peter shakes his head down at his notebook, still writing and looking over to the textbook. _

_“Super healing to the rescue, huh.”_ _Harley says from the hologram screen that’s being displayed from one of Tony’s desktops. _

_ Harley is mirroring Peter’s actions, also jotting things down, head down and sounding as equally distracted. _

_ “Ha, yeah, man. Now, are you gonna watch the show or what? Don’t try to distract me. I see right through you, Keener.” Peter’s tone remains the same, but Harley’s head snaps up and is met with Peter’s head still bowed, his mop of brown curls on the screen. _

_ “Webs, you’re killing me with this. Is that why you called me?” _

_ Peter’s phone chimes with a text notification so he picks it up, looks at it, but sets it back down without opening the notification. _

_ “I second that notion!” Tony calls from across the room, standing directly in front of Peter from a fair distance, instructing DUM-E with a task he apparently can’t seem to get right. Peter rolls his eyes. Harley chuckles lightly on the picture. _

_ “The first season and I’ll let you wear the suit one whole day while you’re here, on the weekend you come for your break.” _

_ “Ohhoho, you are _ on_, my friend!” Harley agrees with enthusiasm. _

_ “Uh, Mr. Parker? What do you think you’re doing?” _

_ Peter looks up from his notebook and then down at it. Tony is taking things from DUM-E as Harley has a suppressed smile on his face. Peter then looks up to Tony and innocently answers, _

_ “Physics homework?” _

/// 

_ Peter is crouched down by DUM-E. Half of his face is covered by Tony standing in front of him in the frame. He hands Peter a wrench and praises him for his good work. DUM-E beeps excitedly. Peter stands back up. _

_ “Nice work, kid.” _

_ Peter pats DUM-E with a smile on his face. Tony tells DUM-E to clean up since he’s all fixed now. _

_ “No excuses. Junkyard if you get out of line. I swear to—put that down, DUM-E.” _

_ Peter is snickering as he cleans his hands with the rag he picks up from the nearest table. _

_ “I wanted to ask you if it’s still okay that I go with you to see Harley during the break.” Peter sets the rag back down, his hands still dark from the grease and rust. _

_ “Yeah, kid. Of course. Ask me one more time though, and I’m leaving you behind. You won’t even know until you’re standing in the garage and can’t find me. Just the dust as I speed off.” _

_ “Fine, fine,” Peter chuckles, rolling his eyes and shutting down programs from his workstation. _

_ “Spare me with the sass, will you? That’s my job.” _

_ Peter shakes his head with a smirk on his face and his eyes on the screens in front of him as he tells FRIDAY to please send specific files to his suit. “I’ll work on them tomorrow when I get home from patrol.” _

_ “Told you we’re driving there and flying back, right?” Tony is now by his workstation doing the same thing Peter is doing. DUM-E has finally gotten brief praise from Tony when he finishes cleaning up. _

_ “You want to drive? That’s, like, twenty hours, Mr. Stark.” _

_ “It’s fourteen, actually.” _

_ Neither of them is looking at each other, diligently working on closing everything for the night after Pepper threatened to burn the whole place down if they don’t get some rest, scolding about it being a Sunday, and having May waiting for Peter to leave. _

_ Tony shrugs, and distractedly admits that he likes to drive, “contrary to popular belief.” _

_ “You do?” Peter peeks from the screen as Tony finishes with his work, shutting everything down. _

_ He shrugs, cleaning his tools with a rag and handing them to DUM-E to put away one by one as he finishes cleaning them. He threatens DUM-E again as Peter steps from the screen once they are also shut off. He stands by Tony. His eyes are expectant and focused as Peter leans against the table with his arms crossed against his chest. Tony shifts uncomfortably as he continues to organize his tools. _

_ “I like...that there’s distance...the minute I get behind the wheel. Like, I can leave things behind. A sense of freedom. Of control.” Tony gives a small side shrug. Peter doesn’t say anything for a moment, but he does eventually, his voice gentle. _

_ “That sounds really peaceful, Mr. Stark.” _

_ “Yeah, well. Might be all the time I spent with Jarvis. Who knows,” he murmurs, but the audio is picked up. He stays quiet for another moment. Then says, “come on.” Setting his last tool down, he grabs the pieces of paper from the table. “Take this home with you. No rush. Just testing your spiderbrain. I’m working on something and I want to see how it takes.” _

_ They begin walking out of the shop, Tony giving final instructions to FRIDAY as Peter reads the pieces of paper handed to him. _

_ “Think you can you figure this out, kid?” _

_ /// _

_ Peter is hanging upside down with a book in his hand on the workshop ceiling, right by DUM-E as Tony works on his nanotech. _

_ /// _

_ “She has a favorite Avenger.” The sounds of Harley’s voice is coming from the hologram displayed from one of Tony's desktops in the workshop. _

_ Peter looks up at the screen then, suspiciously narrowing his eyes toward Harley. His hands still around his webshooters. _

_ “Mr. Stark?” _

_ “Tony,” Harley confirms with a single nod. _

_ Peter nods in approval at the exchange and shrugs, picking up the webshooters. As he finishes with them, he puts them on his wrists. He then tests them as he shoots towards the ceiling, shortly after, hanging upside down from it. _

_ “I like her.” _

_ “Yeah, she says the comeback heroes are the ones that know both sides of the spectrum, so they usually make a ‘better informed decision.’” Harley says the last few words with a specific emphasis, stressing what Samantha had said. “Plus,” he continues, “when Tony was here, he saved her uncle.” _

_ “There’s just no other way to live, you know? Team Mr. Stark.” _

_ “Exactly,” Harley chuckles when Peter comes into view upside down. _

_ “You told her you know him?” _

_ “Nah. That’s marriage level stuff, dude. Now, tell me about the mandatory drama club auditions. You said MJ is not completely opposed to it?” _

_ Peter groans and drops to the ground. At that moment, Tony walks in the workshop with a pizza box in hand. _

_ “It’s so weird but she likes it, so,” Peter says toward Harley with a side shrug. He then turns to Tony. “Fixed the damage and replaced cartridges,” Peter announces when he sees Tony. _

_ “Nice work, kid.” Tony sets the pizza box on the table, moving a few things with Peter’s help. “Come on, gotta eat. Pepper says that if we don’t, you and I both lose shop privileges, and she’ll tell May. So—” _

_ “Eat up,” Peter finishes for him, opening the box and grabbing a slice, sitting on the stool, directly in Harley’s view now. DUM-E makes its way towards Peter, and he gives the bot a smile with his cheeks full of food and mouth closed. He then gives him a few taps and DUM-E beeps softly at the gesture. _

_ Tony clears his throat. “Hey, DUM-E. Personal space, buddy. Kid has to eat. There’s oil on my mat. Handle it.” _

_ Tony ruffles Peter’s hair as he grabs a slice for himself and nods towards Harley as he steps into the frame. _

_ “What’d I miss?” Tony asks, biting into his slice of pizza while standing by Peter. _

_ “Peter’s gonna be a Broadway star!” _

_ /// _

_ Tony and Peter are sitting on the living room couch. Peter has a vacant expression on his face. Tony is sitting next to him, shoulder to shoulder. Tony is the first to break the silence after a couple of minutes. _

_ “Kid, it’ll be alright.” _

_ “How can you say that with such confidence, Mr. Stark?” Peter swiftly turns to face him, causing Tony to jump a bit on his seat. _

_ “Were you not in the room? Did we watch the same episode?!” Peter slumps in his seat again, almost sliding off the couch with a small groan. _

_ “I can’t wait a whole year for this, there is _ no _ way.” _

_ Tony snorts as he pats Peter’s mop of hair, shaking his head. Peter groans louder and slides off the couch completely. _

/// 

_ The footage opens with Pepper and Peter in the kitchen, talking. May is grabbing something from the refrigerator as Peter answers Pepper’s question regarding the national science fair, and how he was able to get involved in that instead of the play. May settles the orange juice on the peninsula as Peter drowns his pancakes in syrup. They are all wearing their pajamas. _

/// 

_ Pepper sits on the living room couch with a bruised up Peter against her side while she reads her book. Peter had been asleep for twenty minutes, his head on Pepper’s shoulder. They stay that way for another fifteen until Peter wakes up and asks in a frantic and disoriented manner if May is alright. _

_ “Fine, she's fine. She’s working,” she says while Peter is rubbing his eyes with the back of his knuckles. He yawns. Pepper puts her book down. _

_ “How’s the ankle?” she asks. _

_ Peter stretches it in front of her in response. _

_ “Good as new.” _

_ “What about the cut on your arm? Are you sure you don’t want to put a band-aid on it? I mean, we cleaned it after all.” _

_ Peter lifts up the sleeve of his sweater and Pepper gives a hum in response to the almost healed injury. _

_ “I’m never gonna get used to that.” _

_ Peter smiles tiredly, and FRIDAY announces that Happy is outside and ready to go. Peter stands from his spot on the couch, grabbing his bag that sits by his feet. Pepper stands with him and walks him to the elevator. _

_ “See you Thursday, Ms. Potts.” Peter hugs Pepper as the doors open for him to enter. _

_ “See you, sweetie. Have a great week in school.” _

_ He smiles with a “thank you”, the elevator doors closing. _

/// 

_ Tony is facing Pepper in the kitchen, and he turns around at the sound of Peter’s voice. _

_ “Mr. Stark, hey, you’re back!” Peter rushes over to Tony when he makes his way into the kitchen, his bag sliding off his shoulders and onto the floor. _

_ A few documents are spread out across the peninsula. Pepper wears a smirk behind Tony when Peter crashes against him in an embrace. _

_ “Hey, kiddo,” he softly greets, returning the hug and smiling into Peter’s hair when he drops a kiss to the top of his head. “I see you are alive and well.” _

_ “Eh, didn’t even feel like ten days,” Peter says as he steps back and smiles at Tony. “Ms. Potts is, _ como se dice_, the _ best_.” _

_ Pepper laughs, genuine and full as Tony shakes his head with a chuckle towards Peter. _

/// 

_ May and Tony are sitting on the living room couch. They’re discussing Peter’s therapy sessions. This clip lasts forty-five minutes. _

/// 

_ Tony, Pepper, and May are all in the kitchen, laughing. Tony and Pepper both have glasses of wine in their hands. May is laughing into her glass of water. She’s the only one that is wearing pajamas amongst them. Peter walks into the frame, hair sticking out all sorts of ways. He looks tired as he rubs his eyes. _

_ “Don’t mind me. Just getting some water.” _

_ The room stays quiet while Peter opens the fridge, grabs a water bottle and heads back to his room. _

_ “Was he wearing Iron Man pajamas?” Pepper asks once he’s gone. _

_ “His favorites, actually,” May says between a chuckle. _

_ “Kid’s got good taste,” Tony concludes and brings his glass to his lips. _

/// 

_ May and Tony are next to each other by the kitchen island. She is wearing her scrubs. Tony is leaning against the counter with his arms crossed against his chest. His head is bowed as May stands beside him, hands behind her back and against the counter. She has tear stained cheeks as she speaks. _

_ “I know you care about him, Tony, so thank you for keeping an eye on him.” _

_ Tony doesn’t speak. His head still hangs low as he gives a quiet nod. _

_ “He loves you very much, you know.” _

_ At that, Tony snaps his head up. His expression is slightly panicked. _

_ “Oh, please. It’s too late to panic now. Besides,” she continues, wiping at her tears with her fingers, “you’re doing just fine with him. Just..no more gadgets. _ Please_.” _

/// 

_ Peter makes dinner for the entire family. Rhodey and Happy take Harley’s word on behalf of Peter’s lasagna madness looking and tasting better than what it sounds like. _

_ There aren’t any leftovers at the end of dinner. _

_ /// _

_The video takes place in the garage. May is holding Peter’s shoulders with a mildly concerned look on her face. _

_ “Are you sure you wanna do this?” _

_ “Yes, May! It’ll be so fun. Come on. You already said yes. Can’t back out now.” _

_ “Oh, I’m not worried about you. Tony might throw you out of the car. You get pretty antsy when you’re boxed in for too long.” _

_ May pushes his hair back as Peter rolls his eyes and walks around the car to put his bag in the back seat. He slams the door shut and walks back to May, reminding her that there will be windows, and Mr. Stark will be there. _

_ “I promise I’ll be fine.” _

_ “Mr. Parker, are you ready?” _

_ Tony walks into the garage and greets May with a quick side hug and cheek to cheek kiss. He moves to the passenger side of the car, putting the hanger that has his suit on the top handle. _

_ "Tony, this is a fourteen hour trip. In a car. With a teenager. With Peter, the teenager.” _

_ “He’ll be fine,” Tony says as he stands back up, both hands flat atop the roof of the car. “You’ll be fine, right?” _

_ Tony looks to Peter, who is standing next to him, with the front door of the passenger side open. He perks up at the sound of Tony’s voice. _

_ “I’ll be fine.” Peter speaks while looking between May and Tony with hopeful and expectant eyes, as if he’s trying to convince them of what he just said. “A-and don’t forget we’re flying back. We’re just driving there.” _

_ Tony looks back at May with half a shrug. _

_ “See? Fine.” _

_ May rolls her eyes and walks over to Peter, now standing in front of him as Tony settles everything in the car. _

_ “Tell Harley I say hello.” _

_ “I will.” _

_ “And behave.” _

_ “I always do!” _

_ May glares with an unimpressed look that might suggest otherwise, and gives him a kiss to his cheek that Peter tries to pull away from when May doesn’t step away after the first three seconds. In that moment, Pepper enters the garage with two travel mugs. The one on her left hand has red and blue stripes, the same pattern and spider logo from Peter’s suit. The mug on her right is black and in patterned gold and red bold letters, it reads “You Know Who I Am.” Pepper makes her way over to the two travelers and distributes the mugs accordingly. _

_ “Coffee for Mr. Stark and hot chocolate for Peter. Extra marshmallows.” _

_ “Thank you, Ms. Potts,” Tony says as he takes the mug from her hand. Pepper gives him a warm grin, kissing his cheek and stepping away as Peter takes the mug from her hand with a “thank you,” Pepper giving him a hug goodbye in return. _

_ After a last quick and easy kiss between Pepper and Tony, he gets in the car and Peter waves goodbye to the ladies as he gets inside the vehicle, Tony pulling off shortly after. _

_ “Peter didn’t sleep one bit last night talking about this trip.” _

_ Pepper shakes her head with a small grin on her lips as she tells May that “neither did Tony.” _

/// 

_ The next clip has both Peter and Tony in the workshop, DUM-E cleaning up on the far end and Tony and Peter laying on the ground, shoulder to shoulder, eyes to the ceiling. _

_ “She told May it’ll keep you well-versed. You’re going. Sorry, kid.” _

_ “But the _MoMA_? I can just come here instead. Do science related _ things_, Mr. Stark.” _

_ Tony shrugs at that, thinks for a second. He stays silent for a moment. He breaks the silence. _

_ “You can come by tomorrow.” _

_ Peter groans. _

_ "Focus up, did you just _ groan _ at me?” _

_ Peter sits up and looks at Tony while he stays on the ground. He rolls his eyes and lies back down next to him again. _

_ “God, you’re such a brat. You’re grounded. Effective immediately.” _

_ “You’re the most dramatic dad I’ve ever met.” _

_ “What’s your point?” _

When the footage stops playing, Pepper is still crying, putting her head down with a shaky breath as she tries to calm down. She runs her hands through her hair, desperate for an answer to dilute all she’s feeling. Because it’s been a few weeks since that day. It’s been fifty-eight days to be exact. And she still instantly suffocates if she has a moment to think about it for too long, feeling like someone is aggressively stepping down in the middle of her chest. It’s heavy. _Grief _is_ heavy__._ It terrifies her how eternal that heaviness feels. 

“Mrs. Stark, would you like me to play the remaining videos from the Underoos folder?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *laughs nervously* tell me your favorite Irondad moment! Mine is the Peter B. Stark! What’s yours?
> 
> And, yes. Harley is older than Peter, maybe older than he actually is. He's around 23 on here? It just made my life easier AND big bro Harley has my heart. 
> 
> Yes, the tower was never sold in this AU so that's where all of this takes place. I just changed a few things here and there within it. 
> 
> The title of the story is a song by Sara Bareilles that I have loved for as long as I can remember. And it brought the Crying Over Tony Stark hours to a perpetual spin. Listen to it, it is beautiful. 
> 
> ****Don't forget to go on my tumblr --mogoona3000--and click on the link to show some love to the artists that inspired and helped me with this story! 
> 
> I am sorry I can't link anything on here. You have no idea, I wanna cry lol.
> 
> Sigh. Well, I am always up for screaming about Mr. Anthony E. Stark Iron Man sir. 
> 
> Hit me up. Let us shout together.
> 
> Go be happy.


	2. No Enemies to Call My Own

Pepper lifts her head at the sound of FRIDAY’s question, her eyebrows knitting in confusion as she tries to calm down for her words to be coherent enough for the A.I to understand. 

“There’s more? How—what?”

“I saved all the footage Mr. Stark wanted to store between him and Peter.”

“I understand that but..Peter..There wasn’t any..”

“After Mr. Stark sorted through the first few videos he had asked me to save, I picked up on the pattern of moments he would’ve had me store for him. I figured once he sorted through them, he would choose which ones to remove from the file. When he watched them, he kept all of them.”

Pepper brings a shaky hand to cover her mouth in slight shock, her eyes wide on the screen as FRIDAY displays snapshots of the previous videos Pepper just finished watching.

There is a bittersweetness to all of this, but Pepper can’t help to feel more at peace than anything else in knowing Tony shared these wonderful moments with Peter. Because, God, he loved Peter Parker. He loved that kid. 

“Even after Peter stopped appearing on camera,” FRIDAY continues, “Mr. Stark never canceled the protocol, so I saved anything related to Peter Parker. There wasn’t much to store and they all take place in the lake house, except for one occasion. The last time this file was opened, Mr. Stark kept everything he saw. He never got to decide what to do with the last two clips.”

FRIDAY is scrolling through the new set of videos as she continues her explanation. She has the new videos all spread out, timestamps visible on all of them. 

“They are very brief. Would you like to see them?” 

Pepper doesn’t hesitate as she answers with a breathless “yes” to FRIDAY’s question; she quickly wipes her cheeks with the back of her hands and moves up to the edge of the chair, grateful for the feeling of curiosity that attempts to rival the pain that resurfaced while watching the previous footage. 

She has no idea what could possibly be in these videos, doesn’t even know if she can take much more of them. As soon as she sees Harley appear on the hologram before her very eyes, she seems confused but then she sees herself in the footage too. And instantly, she knows. She knows what FRIDAY recorded and it breaks her heart. The video that begins to play is from the day Harley showed up to the tower unannounced, two days after Tony’s return. She remembers. She remembers driving back to the city from the compound, with Tony silently holding Pepper’s hand as she sat next to him, Happy all too quiet but grateful for Tony’s return as well. 

She knows what this video is. 

She was packing that day, boxes were everywhere in the living room of the tower. She remembers Harley had just told her he was moving West with his mother. He had said that she had always wanted to live out there. Pepper didn’t blame him for trying to start over, far away from everything he knew. She understood, having the same need and agreeing to leave the tower as soon as Tony mentioned the lake house. She was happy that Harley and his mother had found a place they wanted to go to, something that brought them a sense of peace, a new start. 

“She says there’s no time like now to do it, so why not, right?” was what he said. Pepper remembers because she understood the underlying message.

_ Do what makes you happy because death is inescapable. Do what makes you happy before it all comes to a sudden stop. It’s an unpredicted but _ certain _ stop. _

She had understood the message and was already living by it. 

So Pepper had offered her help with anything he might’ve needed for his move, hoping it would have eased her guilt for not calling to make sure he was alright when the snap happened. 

Being with a frantic May in her apartment while trying to figure out if Peter and Tony were together, and then watch May literally turn to _dust_ before her, shut Pepper down. She couldn’t have called. She couldn’t have. Calling Harley to see if he was okay would’ve destroyed her because thinking of Harley meant thinking of Peter, which meant thinking of May, and she couldn’t bring herself to call and find out that Harley had gone too. It was selfish, she knew, but Tony didn’t ask either when he returned, and she was afraid to bring it up. They both knew the chances weren’t on their side, so it was an unspoken agreement to leave that subject untouched. What were the odds that Harley remained? It was so selfish, but Tony was _ back _ and she needed to hold onto the tangible things. Fading was no longer a form of expression. 

So Harley came to the tower that day looking for answers, and when he saw Pepper, he looked so relieved but didn’t dare ask the question she didn’t even want to answer. She shouldn’t have had to avoid talking about someone who was very much breathing, though still trying to survive. 

She _ remembers_. 

She remembers how hurt Harley looked. She remembers how much it hurt standing before him empty handed. He noticed she was doing packing of her own, and she mentioned the lake, Tony still wanting to keep the tower, and how beautiful it was where they were going. She remembers hoping that would’ve eased the reality they were living in. 

But Harley had no intention of talking about the lake or the tower, not with the way he shook his head and looked down at his hands, anxiously messing around with his car key. 

Pepper blinks tears away as she forces herself to focus on the screen before her as the video plays. 

_ “There’s a lake. It’s really peaceful. Tony wanted a big open space, you know? Away from the city.” _

_ Harley nods, his face scrunching up as he looks down. Pepper takes a tentative step forward but stops short. Harley looks back up at her and his eyes are glassy, but his tears don’t fall. _

_ “So Tony is..He’s..” _

_ “He’s actually in the shop right now if you—” _

_ “I—no. I..” _

_ Harley shakes his head and when he looks directly at Pepper, tears begin to appear on his face as he tries to get his words out. _

_ “Ms. Potts..When I called to see if you were..okay and couldn't reach you, I assumed that..But my mom said--she said no phone company could possibly be operating right now. They’re still all messed up. So I waited. But then..I couldn’t reach May and... just want to know..Just—just tell me. Did they..did he..because I went over there and..” _

_ Pepper lowers her head. She doesn’t say anything as Harley is getting choked up, unable to finish speaking. Pepper looks up at him, her eyes apologetic and filled with tears. Harley drops his face in his palms and his soft cries is the only thing that the audio picks up. _

_ At that moment, Tony walks into the living room and stops short at the sight of Harley. Pepper wipes her face quickly and looks Tony’s way. He stands very still. Harley continues crying into his palms and Pepper and Tony lock eyes for a moment before he begins to move towards Harley in slow, tentative strides. When Harley removes his hands from his face, he stops crying for a moment at the sight of Tony standing before him at arm’s length. _

_ "You’re okay. You’re okay.” _

_ Tony nods at Harley’s shaky words while giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. Pepper is seen further back, watching them and wrapping her arms around herself. She continues to cry quietly. When Tony pulls Harley towards him for a hug, Harley’s cries become louder and desperate. _

_ He tries to speak between his sobs against Tony. The audio is muffled, not much can be picked up but pieces of him being glad Tony is okay over and over. All Tony does is shush him, his eyes shut tight and holding Harley against him in a tight embrace. When Harley breaks from the hug, he’s a lot more frantic when he speaks. He starts asking for Peter, looking between Tony and Pepper, who is still standing a few feet behind them. No one says anything and Harley seems to understand what’s being left unsaid because he drops his head with a nod, crying just as hard as before. _

_ Tony places his hands on Harley’s shaking shoulders, but Harley crashes against him in a mess of tears again. Tony doesn’t speak while he holds him. They cry for a minute and forty seconds until Tony’s speaks. _

_ “I was with him.” His voice wavers, but continues as he steps back from Harley. With tears running down his face, he holds the boy’s shoulders when he speaks once more. “He was _ ridiculously _ brave, Harley.” Tony’s voice shakes, but it doesn’t dilute how confident his next words are. “He was _ unbelievable_.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to show love to the artists on the link on my dash! Tumblr @ mogoona3000
> 
> Message me if you can't find it!
> 
> I also think Peter was so brave til the very end, even when he didn’t wanna go. What kid would risk his life in account for others against aliens?   
Peter, that’s who.   
Also, Pepper Potts has my heart.


	3. Decided Nothing Good in Dying

Pepper decides it’s time for a break after that first video is over. She tells FRIDAY to pause the recordings and heads to the bathroom to wash her face with cold water. After, she goes to Morgan’s room to find her sound asleep, and then she reheats her tea with intentions of finishing it this time around. As she reaches the living room, feeling even more tired but a lot more composed, she tells FRIDAY to continue playing the footage. 

When it starts with Tony and Morgan in the garage while her daughter is asking for a story, Pepper feels her composure being threatened again. 

_ Morgan is _ _ sitting on the table, DUM-E cleaning while unfinished projects are laying around. There is a glimpse of a blue and silver Iron Man suit that looks about halfway done in the back of the shot. Morgan is staring at Tony with wide eyes as he sits in front of her and tells her the story about the really smart kid who could crawl the walls like a spider and shoot webs out of his hands. _

_“And could he fly too?” _

_“No, he couldn’t but when he swung from his webs all over the city, I am sure it felt just like it.” Tony gives Morgan a small smile as he pushes her unruly dark hair back from her face. _

_“He sounds awesome, daddy.” _

_ Tony snorts at the little girl’s words, his smile never faltering. He stands from his seat and kisses her forehead before he picks her up. Morgan looks at Tony, her vibrant eyes staring into his, so very similar to hers. Tony fixes her hair again before he speaks, softer this time around. _

_“Yeah, Maguna. He really was.” He starts heading out of the garage with Morgan in his arms. _

_ /// _

_ The next clip is of Morgan, timestamp indicating it’s been a few days since she was in the garage with Tony. She is on the couch, crawling on it on all fours. She is wearing red pants and a red long sleeve shirt, with a blue tanktop over it. She jumps on the floor, making noises and talking to the civilians to run, that Spider-Man is coming to save them as she crawls on the floor and pushes half her teddy bears and dolls out of the way. The biggest teddy bear is left untouched and it’s standing right in front of the unlit fireplace. She pretends to swing with white shoelaces she ties around her wrists, releasing the string and retracting it back into her fist right after. She then pretends to swing from the couch, to the ground, and back again. _

_ “The dragon’s going that way, move move!” She opens her little hand again as the laces automatically fall from her palm. _

_ She stands tall in the middle of the couch and from her left hand she throws a lace at the lone teddy bear. It lands on him and Morgan cheers, celebrating how she’s caught the dragon. With her right hand, she opens her fist, making up the sounds of kicks, punches, thwips when she releases her laces from her hands. _

_ /// _

_ The timestamp reads it’s been five days since Morgan’s living room rescue. The lights are dimmed in the kitchen. Tony is washing dishes, rinsing off the plate in his hand but he loses control of the nozzle and water splashes everywhere. He resigns the plate and sets it down, grabbing a rag instead. He dries whatever got wet, almost lazily until he reaches for the shelf atop the kitchen counter and grabs a picture frame of Peter and him. He dries it with the rag and stares at it for a moment. When he lifts his head, his face is stoic. He remains still. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sigh.
> 
> ******don't forget to go on my tumblr and click on the link to show love to the artists who inspired this work! @mogoona3000 
> 
> If you can't find it, message me and I'll send it to you!
> 
> Also, I'm in pain.  
Morgan, man. Morgan.


	4. So I Will Just Keep On Driving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friends my friendsssss, doooon't ask me what your sacrifice was forrrrr
> 
> Here we go, here we go. 
> 
>   
@mogoona3000 on tumblr!
> 
> ***click the link/message me for it if you can't find it and show love to the artists who let me use their wonderful artwork and prompts--and have magnificent work of their own.

“The next two videos are the last ones I saved for Mr. Stark. Should I play them?”

Pepper sips from her tea, her tear-stained cheeks reflecting light from the hologram. 

“The two Tony didn’t see?”

“Yes.”

Pepper bites the bottom of her lips, her eyes scanning the paused video of Tony in the kitchen, looking up from the picture of him and Peter. 

“Last things from this file?”

“Yes, Mrs. Stark, last videos from this file.”

She nods, holding the mug between her hands. She inhales a deep breath again and releases it, closing her eyes and bringing herself to a calmer state of mind.

“Go ahead, FRIDAY.”

She opens her eyes.

_ Peter and Harley are hugging each other in the middle of the kitchen. They both appear to be crying. They hug for fifty-nine seconds until Harley pulls away from him. They are both wearing black suits. Harley is much older than the last time he was in a frame with Peter. The latter on the other hand looks exactly the same. Through tears, and an attempt to smile, Harley holds Peter’s face between his hands. _

_ "Webs, holy shit, man. I’ve missed you.” _

_ Peter gives a choked chuckle. But it doesn’t last long because Harley lets go of him and Peter inhales a shaky breath before he starts to cry again, bringing his forearm to cover his eyes. Harley puts a hand on his shoulder and Peter brings his arm down, closing his eyes and taking deep shaky breaths. _

_ “It’s just hard to wrap my head around all of this..I just..Mr. Stark..” _

_ But Peter can’t finish his sentence as he begins to cry, bringing his forearm to his eyes again. _

_ "Tony was so proud of you, Pete. He loved you, man. He loved you so much.” Harley is talking through tears of his own, but his voice is confident nonetheless. He gives Peter’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. _

_ Peter cries harder at Harley’s words and brings his arm down one more time. Crying, chest heaving and hiccups making it difficult for him to speak, he tells Harley that, _

_ “He was proud of you too. He loved you, Harley. He did.” _

_ They hug again, both of them almost inconsolable against each other. _

///

_ The timestamp indicates it’s been a few hours on the same day. Peter is sitting with his head against the headrest of the couch in the living room. He is still wearing his black suit and tie, eyes to the ceiling, and his noise-canceling headphones in his ears. Morgan is walking in towards him. She wears a little black dress and black shoes with white socks. She’s quiet while she stands next to Peter’s head behind the couch. Peter turns around when she holds onto the headrest with her little hands for support, standing on her toes, and he takes his earplugs out as he greets her. _

_ “Hi.” _

_ “What are you doing?” _

_ “I, uh,” Peter stammers as he sits straight. He clears his throat and then proceeds, setting the earplugs on the table in front of him. “I was thinking.”’ _

_ “Were you thinking about daddy?” _

_ Peter holds her gaze, and he stares at her for a moment before he drops his eyes, his head bowed and giving a few quick nods. _

_ “I was, yeah. Your dad was awesome.” _

_ “Harley said that too.” _

_ They stay quiet for a moment, Morgan not moving from her position behind the couch. Peter looks back up at her, this time tears running down his cheeks. _

_ “Daddy talked to me about you.” _

_ “He did, huh?” Peter’s voice shakes a little as he speaks, tears streaming down his face. Morgan drops her chin on the headrest of the couch, still on her toes. _

_ “He said you were like my brother, and that you were really smart and really funny, and he made me promise to not make his heart race like you did.” _

_ At that, Peter lets out a wet chuckle and quickly swipes at his cheeks. They stay quiet for another moment, and Peter looks down at his hands. _

_ "Before Harley left,” Morgan says, “he told me you’re a Spider-Man fan. Is that true?” _

_ Peter’s head snaps up and he fights to remain calm when he looks at her, his tears seeming unable to stop. The way he stares at Morgan hold an awe behind his eyes. _

_ “He was daddy’s favorite. I have some drawings; do you wanna see them?” _

_ "I’d love to, Morgan. Sure.” _

_ She nods, her chin still on the back of her hands as they rest against the headrest of the couch. There’s yet another moment of silence. Peter gives Morgan a small grin, and she speaks again. _

_ “Do you want to meet Gerald?” _

Pepper finishes her tea by the end of that video. The small smile that spreads across her face feels warm and strangely peaceful, and then she has an idea. 

“FRIDAY, is there any way I can share this file via email? The Underoos one? Or put it in a USB drive?”

“I can do either one. What would you have me do with the protocol?”

“Don’t stop the protocol. Keep gathering clips you think would best fit the description. I’ll sort through them.”

“You got it. Anything else, Mrs. Stark?”

“Can you send this folder via email to Peter, please?”

“Of course. What would you like me to say in the email?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, I can't be trusted and I agree.


	5. But Where I Was is Beautiful

Peter is sitting on his bed with his laptop opened, staring at the screen. The folder requires a double click to initiate whatever it is Ms. Potts wants him to see. 

Peter reads the email again, trying to find a clue as to what the attachment contains. 

_ Peter, _

_ I was organizing things with FRIDAY and came across this file. I think you’d like to have it. _

_ See you Thursday, sweetie. _

_Pepper_.

Grief is clingy. It disorients him with its unannounced visits. Everyone says it will get easier, but Peter knows the truth. It’s not that it gets easier, it’s something he has to learn to live with. He doesn’t want easier. Sometimes, Peter just wants it to go away. Grief is trying to become a part of him, and Peter feels it settling back in its old room, a much bigger space than where it resided before. He’s tired of the unwanted visits, so frequent, so close to each other. It’s chosen him though and Peter, ever so polite and without a choice, lets it in. Because it will never go away. Ever since he can remember, they have coexisted. 

But as certain and as clingy as grief is, as often as it may always visit, Peter will always try to never let it take over him to the point it’s all he becomes. 

He’ll fight it tooth and nail before he submits to it, before he lets it control him, before that’s all he’s known for. 

Releasing a shuddering breath, he double clicks the folder with his nickname underneath it. 

This is what he discovers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, truly. 
> 
> How ya feeling friends? Tell me all in the comment section!
> 
> Don't forget to please show love to the artists that inspired this. Link in my tumblr @mogoona3000
> 
> You can always message me on tumblr if you'd like to yell, chat, be friends or just scream about Mr. Stark Iron Man sir. 
> 
>   
Go be happy.


End file.
